Ashes to Ashes
by Firefox701
Summary: Sometimes you think you know somebody, but then it turns out, they've got a lot more secrets than you could ever imagine... When the Elric brother's search for the Philosophers stone takes them to the infamous Dodger City, they may have gotten more than they bargained for. Luckily, they have a new friend to help them on the way. But what is it she's trying so hard to keep secret?


**Hiya, everybody! Yeah, yeah, I know, hate me for having more two stories. But This idea has been floating around inside my head for a while now, and I wanted to see if it's really as crappy as it felt while writing. If not, then Yay! If so, well, you've been warned. Brambleblood, if you're reading this, I have a life outside of you and can type whatever I want to type. GET OVER IT! Jazzfox17, if you are reading this, I cannot begin to thank you enough for listening to my ideas (whether crappy or not ), never being judgmental of me, and for being my friend, fellow fanfiction reader, editor, enthusiast, companion, inspiration, muse, awesome buddy, and supporter. *Cough 'ego inflator' cough* This story is dedicated both to you, and to all the people who just wish they could have a second chance in life. ENJOY!**

_Here the darkness reigns eternal. There is no sun, no dawn; Just the perpetual gloom of night. The only illumination comes from jagged forks of lightning, carving a wicked path through angry clouds. In their savage wake thunder roars like an enraged demon, shredding the sky, unleashing a torrent of cold, merciless rain. There is no place to run, no place to hide, no place to take shelter. The storm is coming, and there is no escape._

A pair of eyes glittered in the darkness of the building. Emerald colored, with silver flecks around the slit-shaped pupil and the rim, they narrowed slightly at the object of interest on the dusty, dirty streets below them: a boy in a red cloak and blond ponytail, appearing to argue with a very tall man in a suit of plate armor.

Object_s_, anyway.

Abruptly, a set of curving, polished-white, fang-like teeth blossomed out of the darkness, the corners of the mouth twitching them upward into a sarcastic smile. A low chuckle echoed throughout the ruined building. Oh, this was rather rich, wasn't it? the Elric brothers, the _Elric_ brothers, were here. _Here_. Now, what on earth could the great, the _oh_ so mighty Elric brothers want with this place? After all, Dodger city was not a place of comfort and prosperity.

It was the exact opposite, actually.

Dodger city was a den and haven for criminals, gangs, thieves, fugitives, drunks, murderers, rapists, pick-pockets, drug dealers, junkies, idiots, past and present-day fighters, mercenaries, bounty hunters, crazies, outlaws, psychopaths, and the occasional cannibals. Then of course, you had those with a taste for excitement, who could hold their own in the complete chaos that was this place.

Ryhs would be classified as the latter. Not that it bothered her. She was different, and she had long since come terms with it. Of course, these days, she was even more _different _- in a different way. A way she, or anybody else had had no choice in. For just a second, the smile faltered, the mask of sarcasm and self-assurance slipping off to reveal the true feelings and memories beneath.

And they were not kind ones.

Just as quickly, the mask was back on, the walls twice as thick as before. It was better that way. For everyone. Herself included.

The eyes tipped to the side, half narrowed in rumination. What could be bringing two such well known, dangerous people to an even more well-known, even more dangerous place? What on Earth and in Sky were they _doing _here? What was it they were willing to risk their necks for? _Why_ was it so important? Ryhs just didn't know.

But that certainly didn't mean she couldn't find out.

If they were here officially, then she had to stop them. Not because she cared much about this pathetic excuse for a town, but because sooner or later, they would find out about her dirty little secret, would find out about _her_, and she could _not_ let the government know she still existed. That she was more than just a campfire tale to scare Newbies into obedience. She knew all too well what lay at the end of that path.

A one-way ticket back to the Hell she had barely escaped the first time... and not the way she had been before.

She didn't like to think about the before, though.

Never.

Ever.

Of course, all this depended on if they _were_ here officially or unofficially.

If unofficially, then things were much better. All she'd have to do would be keep an eye on them, make sure they didn't dig too deep, look too hard, then everything would be fine. She would make sure her secrets remained just that- secret, they would get whatever they came for and leave, and things could go back to the way they had been and were supposed to be- sweet, sweet, glorious chaos.

Yeah.

That was it.

She had a plan.

Ryhs could work with a plan.

She was all about plans.

And _that_ was how she had managed to stay alive in a world where everything was Chaos-bent on hurting her. Because no matter what happened, no matter the circumstances, she always, always,_ always,_ had a plan. Not just _a_ plan, Ryhs always had a dozen different options open, a million different ways of doing something

A replacement in the wings. For everything. Because survival depended on being flexible, on challenging assumptions, on _having_ no assumptions. And it was hard to look out for yourself and something else simultaneously. Sure, she had friends, but in the end, they were and could only be skin deep. Because if they, if _anybody_ knew the truth... she couldn't complete the thought._  
><em>

There couldn't be an if.

There _couldn't _be.

Green-and-silver eyes stared down at the street, burning with an intensity that could only be called inhuman. Suddenly, the teeth curved back into a smile, twice as bitter and self-mocking as before. Ryhs should have been frightened, but somehow she just couldn't be. She could only smile in anticipation. Yes, anticipation. Why? The answer was simple. Because, no matter what happened, one thing was absolutely certain.

This was gonna be interesting.

Very interesting.

And wasn't that what really mattered to her, in the end?

The eyes shone brightly as ever, and attentively watched the two men as they finished whatever it was they were doing, and went on down the street. The eyes raised up, as if something had stood up, and slunk carefully from the covering shadows of the building. For the first time, light shimmered down near the body that belonged to those Emerald-and-silver eyes. Though Ryhs avoided the light, there was a single beam that glittered down on her.

For a split second, there was a starburst, a _galaxy_, of bright, fantastic, metallic colors. Gold, bronze, steel, silver, copper, nickel, platinum, pewter... shaped like the scales of some reptilian animal, sparkling in the sunlight, muscles below flexing them, long, serpentine, completely, _utterly_ inhuman.

Then the creature moved out of the light.

Both literally and figuratively.

_-0-_

Edward Elric walked calmly down the "main street" of Dodger City, his brother, Alfonse Elric clanking behind him.

Al glanced nervously at the dingy apartments hanging over the street, silent faces peering solemnly from the windows, and the filthy, trash-cluttered streets, equally filthy, trash-cluttered people shouting or buying or sleeping or drinking or just standing menacingly inside them.

He whimpered, scooted closer to his brother, and whispered " Brother what are we _doing_ here, again? Because I'm getting the distinct impression that we aren't welcome here. "

Every last person turned to stare at them as they passed, and more than a few had very _un_pleasant smiles. Which was obviously not inspiring a lot of confidence.

Ed sighed and said off-handedly "Don't worry, Al, we can take anything anybody here has to throw at us. And we're here because of a rumor."

" The Stone?! "

Edward didn't bother asking which stone his brother meant. They both knew there was only one stone that mattered to them.

" Maybe. But if what I've heard is true, we don't even need it. There's a girl- she's got lots of different names, but according to the file Alchemist's Records has on her, her real name is Aryn Drake, though she also goes by Air, Golddrake, and The Dragonblood Alchemist. she's supposed to be an expert in Organic Alchemy. _But_, the rumor is, her real talents are in growing- and _re_growing- living things. If we can just track her down and get her to help us... "

"That sounds like a fantastic plan! "

...

"One question? "

"Hmmm ? "

"How will we find her? This city is huge, and I doubt the locals will help us. "

Ed skirted neatly around a mud puddle, his shoulders shaking as he chuckled.

"Shouldn't be too hard to find her. She'll be the one carrying the miniature clockwork dragon around. "


End file.
